1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a camera head which is detachably fitted to a camera body for receiving and processing image signals, and is equipped with an image-taking optical system and an imaging element for transmitting image signals to the camera body.
2. Description of the Related Art
In many conventional cameras, only an image-taking optical system is built into the camera head, but more recently an imaging element and even a CPU have come to be disposed in the camera head as imaging elements and CPUs have been significantly reduced in size.
For the earlier arrangement, it is sufficient to make the camera head merely dustproof and drip-proof to protect the image-taking optical system within the camera head, but a camera head in which an imaging element and a CPU are arranged as stated above requires a heat radiating structure in addition to dust-proofing and drip-proofing.
However, a dust-proofing and drip-proofing structure covering the peripheries of electronic components including the imaging element and the CPU would obstruct external radiation of the heat generated by the imaging element and the CPU. If the heat generated by the imaging element and the CPU cannot be efficiently radiated outward, temperatures of the imaging element and the CPU would rise, inviting an increase in noise level, which in turn would result in deteriorated picture quality and erroneous actions.
In an integrated camera or a video camera, usually a CPU and an imaging element are disposed within the camera body, and therefore the heat generated by the CPU and the imaging element can be absorbed by a heat sink or a Peltier element or transferred by a cooling fan or a heat pipe to be radiated externally (see for instance Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2003-304420, 2003-197894, 10-285441 and 9-172564). However, the inner space of the camera head is too small to cover the peripheries of the CPU and the imaging element with a drip-proofing structure and further to arrange such heat radiating members with no strain.